Package receptacle for doors and partitions



A. C. GREENE. PACKAGE RECEPTACLE FOR DOORS AND PARTITIONSJ APPLICATION man APR.26,1921.

Patented Aug; 8, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- .IIIIII. lull-1| lllllllll lllll lllllllnl llllll .r

1 I I l l l I Ill 1 d l l l l l I l J JLA. C. GREENE. PACKAGE RECEPTACLE FOR moons AND PARTITIONS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. I92].

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J, m wk-. ,e M

I l l l l l lfl? 771777" I I I "I hl l l ip it lava A JOHN ALAN CAMPBELL GREENE, OF FOL'KESTONE, ENGLAND.

rear-sis.

Application filed April 26,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN ALAN CAMPBELL GREENE, of 42 Kingsworth Gardens, Folkestone, in the county of. Kent, England (whose post-oflice address is 42 .Kingsworth Gardens, Folkestone, in: the county of Kent, England), has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Package Receptacles for Doors and Partitions, oi": which the tollowingis a specification.

This invention relates to apparatusapplr, cable to house-doors, fixed partitions, walls. or other parts of buildings and intended for the ready and safe reception of parcels, goods and the like which may be delivered from time to time, and has for its object an im-. proved construction ofsuch apparatus.

According to" this invention a container, box or casing, divided into a. numberxot compartments is mounted to slide on guides in proximity to a shuttered aperture in the door, partition or wall through which the goods are to be received, and theshutter which is actuated from outside the door, partition or wall is also arranged to slide and is operatively connected to the container or casing in such a manner that either the open ing or the closing ot the shutter before or after the insertion of goods into any one of the compartments moves the container as whole and brings an empty or unoccupied compartment into position behind the aperture ready tor the goods next delivered.

In one form of the invention as applied to a house-door for example a container or casing divided into a number of superposed compartments is movably mounted on vertical guides in proximity to a shuttered aperture in the door, through which the goods are to be received and the shutter which is actuated from outside the door, is operatively connected to the container or casing in such a manner that the closing of: the shutter after the insertion of goods into any one compartment moves the casing as a. whole, and brings the next compartment into position behind the aperture ready for the reception of the goods next delivered. By this arrangement the closing of the shutter after the insertion of goods not only brings an unoccupied compartment into position behind the shutter but also places the occupied compartment into a position where the goods are inaccessible trom the outside of the building.

A preferred form of the present invention Specification Letters Patent.

llatcnted Aug 8', inf 32;

1921. Serial No. 464L579.

is illustrated by way o'f example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side post. of a door fitted with parcel and goods receiving apparatus con-: structed according to this invention.

r 1g. 2 is a front view of a portion ot-the door.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section of a:door with the parcel and goods receiving apparatus applied,

Fig, 4L is a rear elevation of the apparatus,

the door ofthe container beingshown in the open position.

Fig. 5 is a detail: view illustrating the pawl releasingmechanism inside elevation.

As will be seen the apparatus illustrated comprises a container or casingra of wood, metal or othersuitable material divided by horizontal partitions into a. number of superposed compartments a' all of which are open at the front, that is to say towards the door and closed at the back by'acommon hinged door 0 in order that the parcels or goods contained in thetvarious compartmentsmay be removed.

The container at is mounted to slide upon two vertical guide rails 79 arranged one at each side thereof, pairs of tubular uide lugs Z) being provided at the sides or the con tainer to engage the rails and facilitate the motion of the container upon the rails. These guide rails aresupported in brackets Z2 secured by screws to the inner surface of a door 0 in such manner that the container is capable of vertical sliding motion behind an aperture 0 cut or otherwise formed in the door and a sliding shutter (Z is arranged in vertical guides d in such manner as to form a closure to the aperture 0.

The sliding motion of the shutter (Z is limited to an extent equal to the height of each separate compartment in the container and the shutter is adapted to be retained in its closed position by a spring bolt (Z or other suitable device.

Two ratchet racks 6 arranged one at each side of the container or casing a, are arranged to co-operate with pawls f, g, mounted upon the door and upon the sliding shutter in such manner that the closing of the shutter lifts the container bodily to an er:- tent equal to the height of one compartment, thereby bringing an unoccupied compartment into place behind the aperture 0.

The two pawls one to engage each rack are carried upon a common shaft or rod f" and the shaft is pivotally mounted in a bracket f secured to the door just above the aperture 0. One of the pawls f is engaged by a spring f so thatthe pawls will be yieldably held in engagement with the rack and the other pawl f is provided with a side pin The two pawls g are similarly carried upon a shaft 9 which is pivotally mounted upon the lower part of the shutter and provided with a lever g having an arm g extending therefrom for engaging the pin i when so desired. By swinging the lever g upwardly when the shutter is in the raised position the shaft will be rotated and the arm 9 brought into engagement with the pin 7' to rotate the shaft f and thus the pawls f and 9 moved simultaneously out of engagement with the racks e and the container lowered upon the guide rails Z). In order to prevent undue shock when lowering the container a curved spring h supported on a bar extending between the lower parts of the two guide rails b is provided to be engaged by the bottom of the container (1.

In operation the container a is first set into its lowermost position with its compartments unoccupied, the uppermost of which is in alignment with the'aperture 0. Upon a parcel being received in the uppermost compartment a the shutter d is closed and,

1n consequence the whole container is lifted to an extent equal to the height of one compartment, thus preparing the apparatus for the next parcel to be received. The above operation may of course be repeated until all the compartments in the container are occupied by parcels or goods when a stop 6 comprising a lug at the lower end of each rack e engages below the pawls g and prevents further raising of the container or opening of the shutter.

I claim s 1. The combination with a wall structure having an aperture and a shutter for closing the aperture, of a goods receiving apparatus comprising a container or casing divided into a number of compartments and mount ed to slide on guides in proximity to the shuttered aperture in the wall structure, and means whereby the operation of the shutter of the aperture transmits a sliding motion to the container substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, having the means for imparting movement to the container consist-ingof a pawl upon the shutter yieldably held to engage a rack upon the container, in such manner that the opening or the closing of the shutter imparts a movement to the container, and a pawl yieldably held to engage the rack to prevent reverse movement of the container.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 having the shutter slidably arranged in vertical guides to close said aperture and provided 1 with ratchet means co-operating with a rack upon the container in such manner the opening or the closing of the shutter moves the container to the extent of one compartment.

l. An apparatus according to claim 1 having the means for imparting movement to the contalner consisting of a pawlnpon the shutter engaging a rack'upon the container, in such manner that the opening or.

the closing of the shutter imparts a movement to the container, a pawl engaging the rack to prevent reverse movement of the container, and means whereby the last mentioned pawl may be disengaged to permit the resetting of the apparatus.

In testimony whereof he has afiixed his signature.

JOHN ALAN CAMPBELL GREENE. 

